Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Chemistry => Topic started by: Alec Anderson on 17/06/2016 18:47:44
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We have a bunch of Circular Chart records that I keep track of. How do you guys store your original charts? Currently we've been photocopying them and folding them in half and paper-clipping them to the copy. We just started scanning them into a database rather than photocopying, but that still leaves the original chart to take care of. Do they have a giant disc spindle just for charts?
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In the longer term, it's solved by going digital:
- In the past, we measured the data (temperature, humidity or whatever) with an analog sensor and inscribed the data on paper. Someone had to go and change the paper disk every day, (curse when they find that the pen ran out of ink the previous day) and return the paper disk to someone to examine for problems.
- Today, you collect the data with a digital sensor, transfer it electronically to a controller for immediate analysis, alarming of out-of-tolerance values, trending to predict future problems, and archiving on a database for later retrieval and research purposes.
But in the meantime, do your circular charts fit in those plastic CD holders? The ones popular a decade ago, where you bought a stack of 500 blank CDs; they should be able to hold about 1500 small paper disks?
Of course, some future archaeologist will be able to pore over your stack of paper disks and ponder the effects of daily temperature variations in your controlled-environment rooms. But they will have little chance of retrieving any usable data from an ancient hard disk...
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chart_recorder#Chart_drive
(Writeable CDs have been subsequently replaced by the even more ubiquitous and ephemeral USB stick...)